Government
| admin_center_type = Headquarters | admin_center = Marlborough House, London, United Kingdom | languages_type = Official language | languages = English | leader_title1 = Head of the Commonwealth | leader_name1 = Queen Elizabeth II | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = Kamalesh Sharma (since 1 April 2008) | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = Julia Gillard (since 28 October 2011) | established_event1 = Balfour Declaration | established_date1 = 18 November 1926 | established_event2 = | established_date2 = 11 December 1931 | established_event3 = London Declaration | established_date3 = 28 April 1949 | official_website = thecommonwealth.org | area_km2 = 31,462,574 | area_sq_mi = 12,147,768 | population_estimate = 2,100,000,000 | population_estimate_year = 2005 | population_density_km2 = 61.09 | population_density_sq_mi = 158.2 }} The United Empire of the Commonwealth of Nations (UE) is an intergovernmental military alliance, economic, and political union of 53 member states. The UE operates through a hybrid system of supranational independent institutions and inter-governmentally made decisions negotiated by the member states. Important institutions of the UE include the Sovereign (Emperor/Empress) of the United Empire, Her Imperial Majesty’s Commonwealth Conference, Imperial Council of the United Empire, Her Imperial Majesty’s Supreme Chancellor Her Imperial Majesty’s Senate Privy Council, Her Imperial Majesty’s Court of Justice of the United Empire, and Her Imperial Majesty’s Central Bank. The UE has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states. It ensures the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital, enacts legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Permanent diplomatic missions have been established around the world and the UE is represented at the United Nations, the WTO, the G8 and the G-20. Structure of the United Empire of the Commonwealth of Nations ''' '''Sovereign of the United Empire Under the formula of the London Imperial Declaration, Queen Elizabeth II is the Sovereign Empress of the United Empire. The Sovereign of the United Empire possesses supreme executive, legislative, and judicial power, and is the supreme commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the United Empire. Seventeen members of the Empire, known as Royal realms, recognize the Queen as their head of state. The majority of members, thirty-two, are republics, and a further five have monarchs of different royal houses. Her Imperial Majesty’s Commonwealth Conference The main decision-making forum of the Empire is the biennial Imperial Commonwealth Conference (ICC) where Commonwealth Heads of Government, including (amongst others) Prime Ministers and Presidents, assemble for several days to discuss matters of mutual interest. ICC is the successor to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, Meetings of Commonwealth Prime Ministers and earlier Imperial Conferences and Colonial Conferences dating back to 1887. There are also regular meetings of finance ministers, law ministers, health ministers, etc. The head of government hosting the Imperial Commonwealth Conference is called the Imperial Chairperson-in-Office, and retains the position until the following ICC. Imperial Senate The Imperial Senate is the main legislative body for the United Empire. The head of the Imperial Senate is the Sovereign. The Supreme Speaker of the Imperial Senate is the presiding officer of the Imperial Senate. Each member state has two senators in the Imperial Senate, with the exception of the UK which has eight (two for the UK, England, Scotland, and Ireland). The senators are both elected and appointed. Each member state appoints a senator to represent its government and the other senator is voted in by the people in a general election to represent them. The Imperial Senate of the Commonwealth is elected every five years by UE citizens. Imperial Council The Imperial Council acts as the UE’s executive arm and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the UE. The Council is the imperial cabinet government, with 30 Imperial Chancellors for different areas of policy, one from different member states, though Chancellors are bound to represent the interests of the UE as a whole rather than their home state. One of the 30 is the President of the Imperial Council, the Supreme Chancellor appointed by the Sovereign. The other 29 Chancellors are subsequently nominated by Her Imperial Majesty’s Privy Council in agreement with the Supreme Chancellor, and then the 29 Chancellors as a single body are subject to a vote of approval by the Imperial Senate. After the Supreme Chancellor, the most prominent Chancellor is the Imperial Chancellor of the United Empire for Foreign Affairs who is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases:_E ex-officio] Vice President of the Imperial Council, followed by the Imperial Chancellor of the United Empire for Defense. Her Imperial Majesty’s Supreme Chancellor the President of the Imperial Council The Supreme Chancellor (Imperial Chancellor), as President of the Imperial Council, is the head of Her Imperial Majesty's Government in the United Empire. The Supreme Chancellor and Imperial Council/Cabinet (consisting of all the imperial chancellors, who are government department heads) are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Monarch, to the Imperial Senate, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. The Supreme Chancellor is appointed by the Monarch and the Monarch reserves the right to appoint who they wish; this individual is typically the leader of the political party or coalition of parties that holds the largest number of seats in the Imperial Senate. As the "Head of Her Imperial Majesty's Government" the Supreme Chancellor leads the Imperial Council (the Executive). In addition the Supreme Chancellor leads a major political party and generally commands a majority in the Imperial Senate. As such the incumbent wields both legislative and executive powers. Under this system there is a unity of powers rather than separation. In the Imperial Senate, the Supreme Chancellor guides the law-making process with the goal of enacting the legislative agenda of their political party. In an executive capacity the Supreme Chancellor appoints (and may dismiss) all other imperial council members and chancellors, and co-ordinates the policies and activities of all government departments, and the staff of the Civil Service. The Supreme Chancellor also acts as the public "face" and "voice" of Her Imperial Majesty's Government, both at home and abroad. Her Imperial Majesty’s Privy Council Her Imperial Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisers to the Imperial Sovereign. Its members are largely senior politicians, who were or are members of either the Imperial Senate of the Commonwealth or members of parliaments of member states. The Imperial Privy Council, advises the Sovereign on the exercise of the Imperial Prerogative, and issues executive orders known as Imperial Decrees. Imperial Decrees make government regulations and appointments. Imperial Decrees are issued under the specific authority of Acts of Imperial Senate, which delegate such matters to the Council, and are normally used to regulate public institutions. The Council also performs judicial functions, which are for the most part delegated to the Judicial Committee. The Committee consists of senior judges appointed as Privy Counsellors: Justices of Her Imperial Majesty’s Court of Justice of the United Empire. It is a supreme court of appeal for the entire Empire, and hears appeals from Commonwealth countries.